Jeff Probst reacts “shocked” to Jon Lovett’s backfired plan

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Survivor Season 47 premiere.]

You have to take big steps in Survivorsbut they don’t always pay off. When podcast host Jon Lovett got into trouble, Survivors 47 Premiere he tried a risky move to save himself from elimination on the first night. Jeff Probst says in the Survivors On fire Podcast (embedded below) that he once believed Jon could win the whole game, but the only thing that could stop him happened in the first episode, so did he really have what it takes to be the sole survivor?

Jon was part of the Gata tribe that found themselves in the premiere at the first Tribal Council of the season, which was titled “A Glorious and Perfect Episode.” This title turned out to be a phrase Jon himself said when he realized he was on the chopping block. The team realized early on that he was a skilled strategist and politician. Their candidates for elimination were Jon and Andy, with the latter not performing the best in the challenges.

“After seeing how things looked after the challenge, I was shocked. I thought Andy was done,” says Probst in the premiere of the fourth season of On firethe only official Survivors Aftershow and podcast. His co-hosts this season are Jay Wolff and Survivors 46 alumnus Charlie Davis, who will also commentate on every episode throughout the season.

The Gata tribe wanted to get rid of Jon early because of his political and social skills (he used to write speeches for President Barack Obama, so he's a gifted speaker and storyteller, as Probst had previously hinted at). When Jon realized he'd get the axe after the Immunity Challenge, he tried to “go out with a vengeance,” as he described it, by planning a move against Anika that required working with Andy. It was a smart strategy to circumvent the majority's plan. But he couldn't get enough people to his cause.

Probst believed Andy was a proven “liability” after avoiding a challenge, but “in hindsight, Jon is obviously a very smart guy,” the host adds. “Andy might be more valuable because of what happened, and Jon might be a tremendous threat because of his personality. So maybe the move is to take out someone who we all believe could win this game. And I think that's what they did.”

Jon was the first to be voted out Survivors 47. Probst suggests that his strengths may also have been his downfall as he reflects on his first impressions of the player during the audition.

Probst reveals in On fire that the notes he wrote about Jons, Survivors At the audition, he said, “He's incredible, very engaging and an incredible storyteller.” That's also the message Probst shared about Jon's role in the Season 47 preview. But the host reveals his second impression, which wasn't quite as glowing.

“He thinks too much. That could lead to decision-making problems,” says Probst. But his third round of comments before Jon was officially cast was: “He could and should go very deep. He's so smart. What would stop him?”

For Probst, the answer to this question was ultimately “something unexpected.” This is how he explains Jon’s immediate elimination.

“Andy breaks down and starts throwing him under the bus, and that goes back to the beginning of this episode, which is the uncertainty that comes with being on that beach,” Probst says, adding that “maybe Jon Lovett said something in those early moments” that was a warning sign to his teammates.

Probst believes Jon has what it takes to Survivors Winner. But can that be true if he was eliminated in the first episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. And listen to the full On fire Follow below.